Writtle News

July 2013

(NOTE: This is an archived press release.)

Writtle College’s Floristry team has won a silver medal at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2013!

The team’s stunning exhibit, entitled Rock Around the Clock, featured a girl in a 1950s circle skirt covered in around 1,000 fresh cerise pink carnations, a teddy boy with a suit and shirt made from preserved leaves and a flower-covered juke box all set against the backdrop of a huge clock.

Elaine Thackray, FE lecturer in Floristry at the College, said: “We are very pleased to win a silver medal in this year’s show with our 1950s-inspired exhibit, which was designed with the help of our Level 2 Floristry Diploma part-time students.

“The team has worked exceptionally hard to make this beautiful exhibit – there were hours of design and preparation at College and 15 hours of putting the exhibit together on Sunday – including gluing thousands of everlasting stachys leaves to the jacket and around 1,000 fresh cerise pink carnations to the skirt. A member of the team has also gone up to the show every day to replenish the flowers and to ensure it is looking its best for all the visitors over the week, whose feedback has been brilliant.”

This year’s theme was the vintage 1950s and the Writtle College exhibit took shape after Floristry students submitted their designs. While the suit was made from the everlasting, velvety stachys leaves, all individually glued on, the man’s shirt was made from euonymus leaves. Every carnation was attached singularly to the skirt, and the juke box was made from foam, with a wooden base, decorated with chrysanthemums and carnations.

Three students have also been demonstrating to the Show’s visitors today how to make floral Knickerbocker Glories, a cake stand and teapot – a retro diner theme in keeping with the vintage 1950s – and met the Duchess of Cornwall.